A farmer says the “thugs” who beat her bull and tried to set light to pregnant cows must be brought to justice.

Linda Bacon, 58, of Rayne, said she was horrified to discover her animals in a frightened state after the incident on Saturday night.

She said: “It’s a cruel crime that’s been committed. I just want everyone out there to know what sort of thugs there are about.”

Mrs Bacon keeps a blonde bull and about a dozen beef cattle in a rented field in School Lane, Great Leighs.

She said she found aerosol cans, a lighter and broken fence posts in the field, where she believes teenage yobs attacked her animals and tried to burn them.

An Essex Police spokesman said: “We are waiting to make an appointment for officers from our Rural Crime Unit to visit the farmer to take full details. In the meantime, we have circulated details of the incident to other farmers via FarmWatch."

Anyone with information should contact Essex Police on 101.

See this week's Braintree and Witham Times for the full story.